Question
Dear Gramps,
In the Articles of Faith, we are told that we believe in being “subject” to our country’s leaders. What about Nazi Germany? I cannot imagine that the Church wanted its members to be obedient to Hitler. What was the Church’s stance on this issue for the saints in Germany? My instinct tells me that we are not told to obey evil dictators who are following Satan. Do you know what the church counseled its members to do there? I heard a church member last night tell his new convert wife that we believe in being subject to our leaders and therefore the Saints were to obey Hitler and exterminate the Jews and that someday they would understand the reason for Heavenly Father allowing that. I told her that did not sound right to me and I would ask you! Thanks.
Kathleen
Answer
Dear Kathleen,
That is an important question, especially when we look at what actually happened to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany during the Nazi era.
The short answer is that the Church generally encouraged its members to respect their country’s laws, avoid unnecessary political controversy, and protect the Church and its members from government persecution. However, this did not mean that the Church endorsed everything Hitler and the Nazi government were doing. Nor does the Twelfth Article of Faith mean that we must obey a government when doing so would require us to disobey God.
To understand this, we need to look at both the scriptures and the experiences of the German Saints.
The Twelfth Article of Faith was written by Joseph Smith in 1842. It expresses the belief that governments play an important role in maintaining order and protecting citizens’ rights. We also find important teachings about government in Doctrine and Covenants 134.
In Doctrine and Covenants 134:5, we read that governments were instituted for the benefit of humanity and that people have a responsibility to support and uphold their governments. However, the same section recognizes that governments have responsibilities toward their citizens, including protecting their rights and allowing them to worship in accordance with their conscience.
In other words, the scriptures do not give government leaders unlimited authority over the lives and consciences of the people they govern.
We also have an important principle in Acts 5:29, where Peter and the other apostles declared, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
This statement came when religious authorities commanded the apostles to stop preaching about Jesus Christ. They refused because obeying that command would have meant disobeying God.
This gives us an important distinction. Latter-day Saints believe in respecting civil authority, but civil authority does not replace God’s authority. When the two come into direct conflict, our first responsibility is to God.
So, what happened in Germany?
When Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in 1933, the Church was placed in a difficult situation. The German government closely watched religious organizations, and Gestapo agents frequently attended Church meetings and questioned local leaders about their beliefs and activities.
The Church was not officially banned in Germany, but its members faced increasing restrictions. Church meetings were sometimes canceled during Nazi rallies, and the Church was forced to discontinue its Scouting program because of the Hitler Youth movement. Some Church publications also came under government scrutiny. Church leaders knew that open political opposition could bring serious consequences for local members and potentially threaten the Church’s ability to function.
The historical record shows that German Church members did not all respond to the Nazi government in the same way. Some supported the Nazi Party, others opposed it, and many tried to avoid political involvement and protect their families and congregations.
An interesting perspective comes from President J. Reuben Clark Jr., who served in the First Presidency during World War II. In discussing the worldwide Church and the fact that its members were fighting on opposing sides of the war, he stated:
“This Church is a worldwide Church. Its devoted members are in both camps.” (Saints, Volume 3, Chapter 27, “God Is at the Helm”)
He explained that members on both sides believed they were fighting for their homes, country, and freedom. He then acknowledged that “Both sides cannot be wholly right; perhaps neither is without wrong.”
His statement reminds us that national loyalty and God’s approval are not necessarily the same thing. Being a citizen of a particular country does not automatically mean that everything its government does is right.
Another important statement came from the First Presidency during World War II. In an April 1942 message, Church leaders declared:
“Hate is born of Satan; love is the offspring of God. We must drive out hate from our hearts, every one of us, and permit it not again to enter.”
This is a powerful reminder that the gospel of Jesus Christ stands in opposition to hatred, cruelty, and the mistreatment of others. These principles do not change simply because a government or political movement promotes something different.
The First Presidency’s message is particularly relevant when considering Nazi Germany, where hatred and discrimination were central features of the government’s ideology and policies.
One of the most remarkable examples of resistance came from a young Latter-day Saint named Helmuth Hübener.
Hübener was only 16 years old when he began listening to foreign radio broadcasts, including the BBC, to learn what was happening outside Germany. He recognized that Nazi propaganda was misleading the German people and began writing and secretly distributing leaflets exposing the government’s lies.
In one of his leaflets, he wrote:
“Do not allow your free will, the most precious thing you possess, to be taken away from you.”
He was eventually arrested, tried for treason, and sentenced to death. On October 27, 1942, at just 17 years old, he was executed by guillotine.
His local branch president initiated an action to excommunicate him, although another local leader refused to support it. A mission leader ultimately signed the action. After the war, the First Presidency reversed the decision, and Hübener’s Church membership was restored posthumously.
His story is especially important because it demonstrates that not all German Latter-day Saints agreed with the Nazi government or believed that its actions should go unchallenged.
Does this mean the Church officially instructed German members to resist Hitler? No. The historical record does not support that conclusion. The Church’s institutional approach was generally one of political neutrality, compliance with government regulations, and the protection of its members. Individual members and local leaders, however, responded differently, and some made courageous decisions to oppose the regime.
Ultimately, I believe there is an important lesson here for Latter-day Saints today. We should be good citizens. We should respect our elected officials, obey just laws, and avoid unnecessary rebellion against civil authority. But we should never allow our loyalty to a government, political party, or earthly leader to become greater than our loyalty to Jesus Christ.
No government, president, king, or dictator has authority to replace God or demand that we abandon His commandments.
The Twelfth Article of Faith teaches respect for government and the rule of law. It does not teach blind obedience to evil. And as Peter reminded us, when earthly authority demands something contrary to God’s commandments, our responsibility is clear: we ought to obey God rather than men.
Gramps
